Anticribbing device



' (No Model.)

B. BURVILL-HOLMES.

ANTIORIBBING DBVIGB. No."605, 590. Paten/d Sept. 26,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST BURVILLI-IOLMES, OF ROYERSFORD, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO EDWIN YOST MARSTELLER, OF SAME PLACE, AND ALLEN ZEIGLER KEE- LOR, OF BOYERSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

ANTICRIBBING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,590, dated September 26, 1893. Application filed July 19,1893. Serial No. 480,917. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST BURVILL- HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Royersford, in the county of Montgomcry and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Anticribbing Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates'to certain new and useful improvements in anti-cribbing devices, designed for attachment to the upper row of the teeth of a horse, and adapted to prevent the horse from cribbingthe well-known vicious habit of grasping with his teeth the edge of his feed-box and drawing in his breath so as to make a peculiarly disagreeable sound.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents the front part of a horses head and shows my improved anti-cribbing device as attached to the upper row of teeth, a portion of the device being shown as broken away to better illustrate its relationship to the teeth.

Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of my improved anti-cribbing device, the device being tilted slightly forward so as to show the rear ends of the plates. Fig. 3 represents a central longitudinal section thereof. Fig. at represents, in perspective, a pair of pliers of a kind employed for loosening or tightening the device; and Fig. 5 represents a vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

; Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A and B represent two plates of steel whose front curvature corresponds to that of the" upper row of the teeth of a horse. The rear ends a b are bent inwardly so as to pass behind the end teeth of said upper row, so that on drawing the plates together the device may be locked in place. The plates A, B, preferably overlapat their forward edges and are connected thereat by the pins working in the guide slots (1. This means of connection enables the plates to be adjusted toward each other freely until tightened up, and also keeps the two plates from slipping up or down with respect to each other during the adjusting operation. Upon one of the plates, as B, is brazed, welded, riveted, or otherwise secured, a ratchet e and to the other plate is secured a spring pawl f having a hooked end adapted to engage with the 5 teeth of the ratchet. The plates are further more slightly bent inward at their upper edges, as shown in Fig. 5, and slotted along said bent over edges, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The'operation is apparent: The plates A, 13, are placed over the upper row of the horses teeth, with the rear ends a, b, engaging behind the end teeth of said row, as indicated in Fig. 1. The front ends of the plates are then adjusted toward each other with the aid of the pliers shown in Fig. 4 until the device is tightened upon the teeth, the pawl f holding the plates in the adjustment made. The pliers are adapted to engage with the rear edges of the ratchet and pawl in effecting this adjustment. The pliers consist of the arm n, to which is pivoted the co-operating arm m, both of said arms having knife-edge jaws adapted to engage behind the rear edges of the ratchet and pawl in the operation of draw- 7 5 ing the two plates together. To loosen and remove the device from the horses mouth when desired, the pliers can be employed in like manner to draw the front edges of the plates still further together so as to relieve So the strain of the pawl upon the ratchet teeth. The pawl can then be held up out of engagement with the ratchet and the plates allowed to draw apart so as to be at once detachable.

The device is effectual to prevent the cribbing habit by reason of the fact that in attempting to grasp the edge of the manger trough with his teeth the upper slotted edges of the plates are forced up against the gums of the horse producing pain and eventually causing him to desist from the habit.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. An anti-cribbing device, consisting of plates corresponding in curvature to the outer 9 5 surface of the upper row'of a horses teeth and of a height sufficient to extend from the gums to a slight distance beyond the cutting edges of the teeth, said plates having at their outer ends means for engaging with the end 106 teeth of the row, and being adjustable toward each other, incombination with a ratchet secured to one of said plates and a co-operating pawl secured to the other plate; whereby when the plates are moved toward each other and tightened upon the teeth they may be releasably locked in position; substantially as described.

2. An anti-cribbing device, consisting of plates correspondingin curvature to the outer surface of the upper row of a horses teeth and of a height sufficient to extend from the gums to a slight distance beyond the cutting edges of the teeth, said plates having at their outer ends means for engaging with the end teeth of the row, and being adjustable toward each other, in combination with a ratchet secured to one of said plates and a co-operating pawl secured to the other plate, said plates having means for engagement with tightening and loosening pliers; substantially as described.

3. An anti-cribbing device, consisting of plates corresponding in curvature to the outer surface of the upper row of a horses teeth and of a height sufficient to extend from the gums to a slight distance beyond the cutting edges of the teeth, said plates having at their outer ends means for engaging with the end teeth of the row, and being adjustable toward each other, in combination with a ratchet secured to one of said plates and a co-operating pawl secured to the other plate, one of said plates being provided with slots and the other being adjustable toward each other, in GOlllbination with a ratchet secured to one of said plates and a co-operating pawl secured to one of said plates and a co-operating pawl secured to the other plate, one of said plates being provided with slots and the other with guide pins moving in said slots as the plates are adjusted toward each other; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST BURVILL-HOLMES.

Witnesses:

DAVID SPRINGER, GEO. R. MATTIS. 

